BRUSSELS, Belgium WABCO has introduced a new latex-free tire repair kit the company says can stop tire leaks and reduce downtime.

The first-aid kit for leaking commercial vehicle tires, WABCO Tire Premium Seal, allows a driver to repair a leaking tire roadside rather than changing a wheel in dangerous conditions, the company says. The sealant works on nail holes or punctures up to 10 mm in diameter, allowing the driver to continue on their way.

The company said that in some cases, the tire kit allows companies to leave their spare tires at the terminal, increasing payload by as much as 660 lbs.

“WABCO Tire Premium Seal is a unique and unrivaled solution for trucks, buses and trailers. The safety benefits for drivers and passengers and the cost savings for the fleet owners are significant,” said Jean Francois Barth, WABCO vice-president, aftermarket. “Fleet owners can benefit even more if they combine the new WABCO Tire Premium Seal with our Integrated Vehicle Tire Pressure Monitoring System (IVTM). Once IVTM has detected a leak, WABCO Tire Premium Seal enables the driver to seal the tire within a few minutes, reducing downtime and the risk of accidents to a minimum.”

Tires sealed using the kit can be operated at a maximum speed of 80 km/h for up to 1,000 km or 14 days, the company reports. The sealant is inserted through the vale stem. The kit is now available through WABCO sales and service teams worldwide, the company says.